RHETORIC of the MOVING IMAGE

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Click on the image to get the requirements for the Final Exam Project written reflection. Then check out the Film Terminology list to make sure your film exhibits at least 5 of these cinematic elements and 1 camera movement.

Submit your reflection to Turnitin.com by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 6.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

For the next few days we'll be accepting student-nominated selections and, afterwards, we'll vote on which film the class will see. (Each class section will choose its own film, but we need at least 4-5 nominations per class to make this work.)

If you wish to nominate a film, you must leave a comment below with the following information NO LATER THAN Monday, 5/7 at 9 p.m.:

1) The film's title, director, and year it was released (check IMDB.com for this info)

2) 2-3 sentences about why you're nominating this film. If you've seen it before, why do you think viewing the film would be a valuable experience for the class? If you haven't seen it, why are you nominating it?

Also,

The film you're nominating should be no longer than 2 hours (less than this would be even better!) and its content should be appropriate for our class.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

The test will focus on Sam Mendes' American Beauty, Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest, and the key terms and concepts from chapter 2 from our textbook, Understanding Movies. Be sure to look over your notes, your homework assignments, and all Viewing Guides and handouts (especially regarding the Classical Paradigm and Episodic narrative structure). Also, know how to define "rhetoric" and be able to give an example of "rhetoric of the moving image." Along with the general plot, key quotes, and character developments of our films, be sure to also focus on these areas in your review:

In Modern Times: Film as important social/historical document; silent film; inter-title; characterization of “The Tramp”; episodic structure; motifs; sight gags and slapstick; final shot. DVD Special Features: deleted scene; original ending; talkies; all voices filtered through technology, and 24 frames per second (fps). Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.

In American Beauty: formalism as film style; what do we see when we "look closer"?; possible meanings of the film's title; 3-act structure; parallel editing; Drama as genre. Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.

InNorth By Northwest: 3-act structure; director's cameo; day for night shooting; femme fatale; MacGuffin; final cut privileges; title credits; parody; montage; characterization and compression; visual irony; phallic symbol; visual foreshadowing; character subtext; "stealing a shot"; film subtexts; matte shot; "Becoming George Kaplan"; "The Matchless Eve Kendall"; "Murder scenes shot lovingly and love scenes shot murderously"; epiphany and character arc; how tension and suspense are created in "The Crop Dusting Scene." Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point

Saturday, April 14, 2018

❶ Let your eyes wander around this frame from Modern Times for a few minutes. Using “The Elements of a Mise en Scène Analysis” handout you received in class, analyze the frame considering the following elements numbered 1, 3, 9, 10, 14, and 15.

❷ Write a 1-2 page typed and double-spaced mise en scène analysis that ultimately describes the frame’s significance to the film as a whole and/or something significant regarding the characters in the frame.

❸ I suggest this as a structure for your essay:

❡1 - A brief description of the frame’s context–who is in the frame, what’s their relationship, and what’s happening at this moment in the story.

❡2 - A breakdown of the elements numbered above (1, 3, 9, etc.) Make sure you explain your responses: how do you know it's Closed Form, for example. And what makes the Dominant the Dominant?

❡3 - An analysis of how those elements contribute to the frame’s overall meaning or significance.

 Look over the model mise en scène analysis provided in class and click on the image above to get a closer look.

Monday, March 19, 2018

There will be a very brief Reading Reward (quiz) on TUESDAY, 4/10 [NEW DATE] on some of the key concepts from Chapter 2 of our textbook, Understanding Movies. The best way to prepare is to thoroughly read Chapter 2, completing the fill-in-the-blank handout (on Google Classroom) as you go, and focusing on the following terms and concepts:

Sunday, March 4, 2018

The test will focus on Steven Spielberg's Jawsand the key terms and concepts from chapter 1 of our textbook,Understanding Movies. Also, review everything from the beginning of the course, such as literary, dramatic, and cinematic aspects, etc. Look over your notes, your homework assignments, and all Viewing Guides and handouts.

Along with the general plot and character developments of Jaws, be sure to focus on these areas in your review:

In Jaws: The conventions of classical cinema; thriller as genre; metonymy; the "Jaws Shot"; triadic composition as motif; long take; visual foreshadowing; DVD special features; continuity errors; cameo; Quint's monologue on the USS Indianapolis. Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.

Monday, January 29, 2018

There will be a very brief Reading Reward (QUIZ) on Monday, 2/12 on some of the key concepts from Chapter 1 of our textbook, Understanding Movies. The best way to prepare is to thoroughly read Chapter 1, completing the fill-in-the-blank handout (that you received in class) as you go, and focusing on the following terms and concepts:

Film style: Realism, formalism & classical cinema

Shots: Long, medium, close-up and the effects they create

Angles: Eye-level, high, low, birds-eye view, and oblique (also known as canted or dutch) and the effects they create